New Parents: 8 Tips to Help You Get More Sleep

You have never been more worn out now that you have a child. Snooze when the baby snoozes; you know the routine. Don't worry about folding the laundry or cleaning the dishes right now; you'll get to those tasks eventually. However, on most days, you'll have to use this time to take care of chores and other obligations. Is there any advice you can take advantage of that will help you go to sleep?

Taking turns with the midnight feedings is a tried and effective approach for ensuring that both parents get at least five hours of unbroken sleep. Some parents have discovered that if they let their newborns sleep in their beds, they all enjoy a better night's rest.

Pump & Sleep

Consider dividing the responsibilities if one parent consistently wakes up to nurse the baby at night. In the case of bottle feeding, both parents should take turns getting up with the infant. If you care about mom's mental health, you should let her get five solid hours of sleep in the first part of the night.

But it can be tricky if you're breastfeeding your infant. When the baby wakes up at night and mom is nursing, dad should get the baby, change the diaper, and bring the baby back to mom so she may nurse quietly in bed. After the feeding, dad should put the baby in the bassinet and keep an eye on Mom to ensure she doesn't nod off.

Rock-A-Bye Baby

If you have a rocking cradle, you may rock your infant to sleep while lying in bed by tying a rope to it and rocking it back and forth. Maintain constant separation between them and the rope.

Midnight Power-Snacking

Having 'power snacks' while you're up with the baby is a great strategy to deal with sleep disruption. The biggies: peanut butter and crackers, a glass of skim milk, yogurt, etc. After one of those nights when it seems like no one sleeps, the food may make a huge difference in how you feel the next morning.

One Night On, One Night Off

When caring for a newborn at night, you and your spouse may take turns doing things like feedings, changing diapers, and keeping the infant comfortable.

Women who want to breastfeed their children can have their partners feed the infant with a bottle throughout the night, enabling the mother to obtain some much-needed rest.

Separate Rooms

While some new parents find that keeping their infant in another room helps them get some much-needed rest, it's unnecessary. Many parents now recommend sleeping in a shared room with their child, but in separate beds, for several reasons:

You're able to sleep better at night. Babies move about a lot as they sleep, which might wake up a parent sharing the bed with them.
Babies who are used to falling asleep in their own beds have an easier time sleeping away from their parents, whether at a daycare or with a friend or relatives.
It's less of a hassle to get newborns used to sleeping in their own beds from the beginning than it is to switch their sleeping arrangements later on.

Shift Work

Not all families, especially those with more than one child and in whom at least one parent works overnight, can benefit from night shift arrangements.

In two-parent families where both parents work full-time, however, dividing up the nighttime responsibilities might make everyone feel more rested and offer the non-birthing parent more time to connect with the newborn. Parents at risk for or suffering from postpartum depression may benefit from the additional sleep that comes with taking shifts.

Early To Bed

Babies tend to nap often throughout the day and at odd hours that may not be convenient for them to sleep, but it is advised that parents get their rest when their infant does. As cliché as it may seem, forget the washing or the dishes and accept sleep where and whenever you can get it, especially in those early phases.

Sleep-Sharing

Why do some parents choose to sleep with their children? This is the answer most parents give who believe in the good it does: Proponents of bed-sharing claim and some research seems to back them up, that doing so:

Increases the number of months a woman breastfeeds.
Makes it easier for newborns to fall asleep.
Improves the amount of sleep both mothers and babies receive at night.
Allows women to spend more time with their infants because of the convenience of nursing at night.